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Description: | Lead tablet containing the impression of a Roman coin of Valens (AD 364-78), probably used for making a silver cliche forged coin, or possibly a curse tablet.The lead panel is roughly rectangular in shape with three near-complete edges and one incomplete edge. The sheet is flat and has a circular hole at one corner, and another half way down the length of the incomplete side, through which the sheet is broken. The sheet was originally found folded together and has since been opened.Inside the folded sheet is the negative impression of the obverse from a Roman coin of Valens. The diameter of the impression is 18mm indicating that it is from a silver siliqua or a copper alloy nummus. When viewed from above the bust faces left and the letttering is reversed. The bust is diademed and draped. The clearest lettering is seen behind the bust, which reads DN VALENS. The legends area after the bust is quite worn and so the lettering is difficult to determine, but probably read PF AVG.To the left to the obverse impression is a very feint ring mark which is the same diameter as the obverse, incicating that another impression was contained within the sheet. There is no evidence for an earlier fold that would have suggested that the lead was folded around a coin and then struck to gain the impression of obverse and reverse.This is one of two dies found together along with a folded blank lead sheet. The die is recorded on the Portable Antiquities Schemes database as LIN-57F021 and the lead sheet is recorded as LIN-5806B6. The other impression bearing tablet was also folded through the coin obverse.The nature of the finds and their folds has lead Sam Moorhead (Roman coin finds advisor, Portable Antiquities Scheme) to suggest that the objects are for making cliche coins or were possibly curse tablets used against the Emperor Valens.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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